Pohjolas Tochter op. 49

The tone poem Pohjola’s Daughter Op.49 - a ‘Symphonic Fantasy for Large Orchestra’ - was written by Finnish composer Jean Sibelius in 1906. The story is a variation of Orpheus in the Underworld, depicting a hero (Väinämöinen) who spotted the beautiful ‘daughter of the North’ (Pohjola), seated on a rainbow. The hero asked her to join him, but she agreed with the condition that he should be able to perform a number of difficult tasks – most notably, building a boat from fragments of her distaff. However the hero’s attempt was in vain, as he was thwarted by evil spirits and injured himself withan axe. He gave up the challenge and continued his journey alone.

A full score for Prokofiev’s popular Kalevala-inspired symphonic poem Pohjola’s Daughter Op.49.